In 1986, the same year our school was established, social psychologists McMillan & Chavis formulated a theory entitled “Sense of Community” which attempted to explain the elements that build a community. They were able to describe their theory in one sentence:

 “Sense of community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together (McMillan, 1976). 

They went on to describe the four factors that contribute to a sense of community and are essential in building a community that is healthy and successful.

The four factors are:

Membership

Membership is the feeling of belonging or of sharing a sense of personal relatedness.

It includes five attributes:

• Boundaries – around membership and behaviour
• Emotional safety – creating trust and a feeling of safety
• A sense of belonging and identification – Members feel like they fit in and that this is “their community.”
• Personal investment – If members contribute or make sacrifices to the community, it enhances their sense of community
• A common symbol system – Sharing a symbol like a logo or uniform helps to create a sense of community.

Influence

The second element is influence, or a sense of mattering. It must work both ways, with members feeling like they have influence over the community and the community having influence over the members. Influence also speaks to the concept of giving first before asking for anything. The theory states that: “People who acknowledge that others’ needs, values, and opinions matter to them are often the most influential group members, while those who always push to influence, try to dominate others, and ignore the wishes and opinions of others are often the least powerful members.” Each member should know that someone is listening, no matter what. And for a community to have influence over its members, it simply must become a place that they care about. It must provide them with value that they don’t want to lose.

Integration and Fulfilment of Needs

This essentially means that by joining a community a member can have their needs met.

It reinforces the idea that a community, like any other product, needs to solve a problem for its members to make it worth their time and contribution. It could be a tangible reward or even something more intangible such as, a sense of belonging, access to a support network, thoughtful conversations, or inspiration. It is important to understand the needs of the members within the community and how these can best be served. 

Shared Emotional Connection

All healthy communities have a story. Members have a history of experiences together and the belief that there will be more experiences together in the future forms a long lasting, emotion connection. The “definitive element for true community” is often difficulty. A strong emotional bond is often forged amongst members when they share and come through a difficult situation. 

As a Catholic educative community it is important to reflect often upon the reasons our community exists, what it means to be a member in our community and the ways we may be able to make Mary Immaculate an even healthier, stronger community individually and collectively.

As we embark on the process of inviting new members to join our community in 2024 and look forward to beginning Term 3 in our new buildings we do so with a sense of achievement for all that our school has achieved in the 37 years since it was established. We must always be conscious of the role each of us play in helping our school community to become all it is capable of being by making our vision visible through` respectful interactions, encounters of faith, optimised learning and acts of service that are other - centered. 

On Monday and Tuesday, I had the great privilege of accompanying our Year 6 students and their teachers on their overnight excursion to Canberra, our nations capital. This excursion is the culmination to the work that has been completed in Year 6 on democracy and citizenship. It was obvious the students had a great understanding of these concepts, and the excursion provided the opportunity to bring this learning to life. Not only did the students display impressive knowledge at each venue visited throughout the two-day visit, but their behaviour and manners were also exemplary and often commented upon by others. This is a wonderful reflection on the foundations laid by parents but is also a testament to the relationships and expectations established by the Year 6 teachers. Thank you to Mrs Alford, Ms Beckman and Mr. Marshall who also accompanied the group for their planning for the excursion and for the foundations laid in the classrooms. I acknowledge the huge personal commitment and their willingness to accept the additional responsibility that is necessary to enable excursions such as these to take place. Thank you to these teachers for accepting all this, as well as the additional time away from their own families for the sake of their students.  We particularly wish to pass on our appreciation to the individual students and parents who took the opportunity to express their own personal gratitude when we returned to school on Tuesday evening.

Thank you to the parents who have indicated their willingness to assist with this initiative.

If you wish to offer your services to assist with this initiative during the first 5 weeks of Term 3. Please complete the google form via the following link

https://forms.gle/bUL7SUXLPrK8JwRR7